(Image source from: www.todayonline.com)
Singapore has submitted its opening report on the measures it has taken to do away with racial discrimination in the country, to a United Nations committee that monitors the carrying out of an international convention on this matter.
The report is a requirement for all states parties of the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination (ICERD), which Singapore signed in the month of October 2015 and validated in November 2017.
The convention condemns racial discrimination based on race, color, descent, nationality or ethnic origin, and calls upon states parties to pursue a policy of getting rid of racial discrimination in all its forms.
Singapore will as well give an oral presentation of the measures in their report to the committee in about a year's time.
In a media release on Thursday, the Ministry of Culture, Community, and Youth (MCCY) said that Singapore's report describes the Government's holistic approach to preserving and strengthening social cohesion, which has three pillars.
These pillars are Legislation that safeguards racial and religious harmony, policies that foster social integration and programs that mobilize the community to work together for the common good, MCCY added.
The report also highlights "key measures" that Singapore has undertaken to eliminate racial discrimination and strengthen racial harmony, said the ministry.
Some of these measures include the roles of the Presidential Council for Minority Rights, which scrutinizes Bills and subsidiary legislation to ensure they do not disadvantage any racial or religious community; ethnic-based self-help groups, which provide assistance to low-income people; and the Ethnic Integration Policy, which aims to ensure a balanced ethnic mix across public housing estates, MCCY said.
The report also pointed to measures to guarantee fair racial representation in the office of the President.
The Constitution was amended in 2016, allowing a Presidential election to be reserved for a candidate from a particular racial group that has not assumed the office in five consecutive terms.
As such, the 2017 Presidential Election was reserved for Malay candidates, and Halimah Yacob became the first female Malay President to take office that year.
In all other instances, the election is open to candidates from all racial groups.
"The Government recognized that 'the role of the President as a titular Head of State representing our multi-racial society is important and we should have a system that not only allows but facilitates persons of all ethnic groups to be President from time to time'," said the report.
In its release on Thursday, MCCY stressed the importance of racial harmony to Singapore's identity.
As of June 2017, 74.3 percent of Singapore's resident population was Chinese, 13.4 percent Malay, 9 percent Indian and 3.2 percent from other ethnic groups.
"Racial harmony has been a key part of Singapore’s identity since independence," said MCCY. "This did not come about by chance – it is the result of hard work and deliberate effort to forge unity across disparate ethnic communities, through policies that strengthen social cohesion and build trust over time.
"Ratifying the ICERD underscores Singapore’s longstanding commitment to working towards a society free of racial discrimination."
In preparing its report, the Government consulted a wide range of people including youths, academics, religious and community leaders, community organizations and civil society organizations, said MCCY.
The ministry also invited members of the public to provide feedback on the draft report from September to October 2018 through REACH.
The ICERD has drawn controversy in other countries, most recently in Malaysia, where thousands traveled to Kuala Lumpur earlier this month to protest against the convention.
In September, Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad told the United Nations General Assembly that Malaysia would ratify the convention.
However, Putrajaya backpedaled on its decision in November, as ratifying ICERD would call for a two-thirds majority in parliament to amend the Federal Constitution.
-Sowmya Sangam
